USA tops Newberry for trip to Silverdome

However, after Unionville-Sebewaing Area's 16-6 win over Newberry in the Division 7 semifinals here Saturday afternoon, the mood was quite subdued.

There were no celebrations, or coaches getting drenched with water.

The Patriots know the game was closer than it should have been, from being repeatedly penalized, to turnovers, to not being able to put the Indians away.

"The game should have been basically over at halftime, and it wasn't," said USA coach Tim Travis. "These guys, and the way that they play, I think they're still upset about the first half.

"They don't even enjoy this right now. It shouldn't have been as close as it was because we made some mistakes that we should not have made. I think, sometimes, we are so hard on ourselves that we don't enjoy the moment."

Added Newberry coach Brandon Bruce: "To go down 16-0, I was happy with that - not happy to be down, but it could have been worse.

"It could have easily been 40-0 in the first half - they were clicking on all cylinders."

USA got on the board on its second possession as Lance Travis broke numerous tackles on his way to a 16-yard run. Jordan Bitzer found Steve Koch for the 2-pointer, making it 8-0 with 4:29 to play in the first.

"On the touchdown, I think we had five kids hit him - and he's just a heckuva football player," Bruce said.

The Patriots' second score came off a Newberry fumble.

Working on a short field, USA got the ball in the red zone, only to see the drive forced to a 4th-and-17 after a couple of the many motion penalties the Patriots were hit with on the day.

On the long fourth down, though, Bitzer found Koch for a nifty 28-yard strike. The conversion failed, making it 14-0 with 11:53 to play in the first half.

"Koch made a heckuva catch that ended up being the difference in the ball game," Travis said.

USA's final score was actually set up by an interception by Newberry's Tony Perry. Perry picked off Bitzer, but the Indians were pinned on the 4-yard line.

A couple of plays later, Newberry quarterback David Carmody was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone - which resulted in a safety.

In the second half, USA came up with three turnovers on a couple of interceptions from Bitzer to move his total to 16 on the season. Travis had the other pick.

However, the Patriots couldn't capitalize on them.

Newberry finally got on the board late in the third with a 42-yard scamper from Jake Pann. With a failed conversion, the team still had to find the end zone two more times.

With time working against them, and only one timeout remaining in the fourth, it was simply too much for the Indians to overcome.

"Our kids came up big with some defensive stops in the second half, but we just came up a little short," Bruce said.

Added Travis: "The good thing about the turnovers was we were playing the whole game in their end which is always nice when you're playing defense."

Although USA won the game, Travis was still bothered by the uncharacteristic penalties and mistakes that his team made.

"Unexplainable, unacceptable, inexcusable," Travis said.

"We have some things we still have to work on with one week to go. The huge lesson for these guys is you can't do that at this level."

Travis gained 117 yards on 26 carries for the USA offense which gained 227 total yards.

Newberry was limited to 189 yards and had Pann gain 97 yards on 20 totes.

"To play in a semifinal, and hold someone to six points, is great," Travis said. "That's what gets most teams to the state finals - they play great defense"

USA advances to play Detroit St. Martin dePorres in the Division 7 championship at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Pontiac Silverdome. St. Martin dePorres was a 20-13 winner over Mendon in its semifinal tilt on Saturday.

Travis said making it to the championship game has been the motivating factor since the first day of practice.

"These guys expected to play in the Silverdome," Travis said. "It will sink in on the ride home, and they will feel real proud of what they accomplished.

"I think we're representing the Thumb - and the North - which is very similar in the way that we play football - and the way we live. It's a great honor for us to represent the northern part of the state."

The Patriots aren't going to the Silverdome just to make a token appearance, though.

"We're not just going there to say, 'We played in the Silverdome,'" Travis said. "We're going there to win."